33 miles. That’s the distance between Hoover Elementary School in Medford and Parkside Elementary in Grants Pass. The starting and end point for the Blue Project.
“We’re walking to bridge the gap between 2 accessible playgrounds in southern Oregon,” said Mona Pinon.
Before 5 year old Issac Pinon started kindergarten last year, his mother Mona realized the playground at Parkside Elementary was far from handicap friendly.A problem since Isaac has been wheelchair bound after a tumor swelled and paralyzed him at age 3.
“I brought my concerns up to the school board about accessibility, and they said go for it, we support you 100%,” Pinon said.
So she created “the Blue Slide Project” and within a matter of months they were able to raise enough money to build a handicap accessible playground. the whole community benefits.
Pinon was hoping a grant would help pay for phase two but that recently fell through. So she decided to take a personal goal to generate funds, combining her son’s dream of a playground and her goal of losing weight.
“I said who would sponsor my weight loss, and so far i raised over 1,200 just by losing weight”
So far she’s lost nearly 60 pounds and hopes to lose another 90 by October.
Walking has become her main exercise and the way to raise money for her son’s playground. Teachers at Hoover Elementary School say having a fully accessible playground really boosts students self-confidence.
It helps my students access more of the play structure and it also helps them socialize a lot more with their non-disabled peers.
As for pinon she finished the walk after nearly 17 hours but she says every step was worth it.
The moms are expected to arrive at Parkside within the next hour.
Lithia of Grants Pass donated $100 for every car sold in May to the Blue Slide Project. They sold 101 cars, meaning they raised $10,100.
For more information on the project you can visit the Blue Slide Project’sFacebook page.
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